From the Archive: Jim McLean’s Dundee United & The Roma Scandal
It's now been three and a half years since the death of the former Dundee United manager Jim McLean. Here's the story of a remarkable time in Scottish football.
Euros commitments are rather squeezing me this week, so apologies for the slightly late delivery of the first of our pieces from the archive for this week.
The passing of Jim McLean is more than the death of a former football manager. For one half of the city of Dundee, McLean was the man who built Dundee United to the extent that there are few others in the United Kingdom who could be considered so closely associated with one individual. Dundee Hibernians had been founded in 1910, changing their name in 1923 after being rescued from a life-threatening financial crisis, but their existence prior to McLean’s arrival in 1971 was somewhat modest. They spent almost the whole of the thirty years between 1930 and 1960 in the second tier of the Scottish League, and by 1959 were a part-time club who’d just finished third from bottom of the Scottish Second Division, with only Queen’s Park and Montrose below them.
In 1959, however, the club appointed Jerry Kerr as their manager, their fifth in five years, a number which in itself hinted at the club’s underwhelming management. Kerr, however, had ideas. He insisted that the club turn professional, and the reward for this was almost immediate, with their first promotion to the First Division since 1932 coming at the end of his first season.
With a team sprinkled with Scandinavian imports, the club established itself in the top flight over the following decade, even going into European football in 1968 with an appearance in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup which saw them beat Barcelona over two legs before losing to Juventus. In 1971, however, Kerr moved upstairs and Jim McLean was appointed in his place.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Unexpected Delirium to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.